Thomas w



Fatented cpt. 6, 1927.

STATES THOMAS W. ROCH, ,0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

OIL BURNER.

Application led August 27, 1926.' Serial No. 131,968.

My invention relates to oil burners of a type designed for using heavy fuel oil and in which a rotating distributor is used which, in conjunction with the air blast, results in suflieient atomization of the oil to insure its combustion.

The object of my invention is to produce a burner capable of handling the heavy oils and in a size which is adapted for use in l@ furnaces such as are used for heating buildings. My invention consists of certain constructions and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and then particularly defined by the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a construction in which my invention has been embodied,` the specic construction illustrated being one which is now preferred by me.

Figurel of the drawings is a vertical cross Y section through the grate and thepoil and air v supplying and distributi meehanisms,the

plane of section being l1illustrated by the broken line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a top-plan view of the mechanism'shown in Figure 1, the upper plates of the distributor being broken away yat one side to better show its internal construction.

Thedevice illustrated is of a type of construction adapted for use in an ordinary house-heating furnace or other furnace.

This furnace may be a. hot-air furnace, a

hot-water furnace, or a steam furnace. The walls 15, shown in Figure 1, represent the lower portion of the re pot or furnace chamber proper. VThese would preferably' be of some refractory material such as lire clay or bricks. The fire grate employed 1s alsowpreferabLy/f the same type of material. This regrate 1 is composed of a series of bricks of segmental shape, which, when assembled, make ,a circular grate. These seg- -menta-l sections are cut oft' at their inner ends sufliciently to furnish an openingfor the reception of component parts of the burner. 0

l 1 Concentrically of the grate at its center 1s the oil distributor, which 'as a whole is indicated by the character 2. This oil distributor has a top plate or plates 20 and a bottom plate 21, these being spaced apart so as to form a disc-like structure, tapering towards outeredge. As illustrated, the upper disc 20 is in reality composed of two plates separated slightly. These are secured together so as to be mechanically considered the equivalent of one plate. The obJect 1n using two spaced plates for the top member 1s merely to give heat protection to the parts beneath it.

The upper and lower plates of the oil dis-l et tributor are connected and spaced apart by radiating Webs 3, making it in effect a fan wheel. These webs extend from the louter edge or periphery of the discs only part way to the center, stopping sufhciently short ofv the center to accommodate the other parts of the burner which are located on the central axis. The lower plate 21 is provided witlv a central opening 22 of suflicient size to accommodate the disc-supporting and oil su' plying members and also to provide amp e inlet for the air used in combustion.

Centrally positioned in and secured to the distributor discs is a distributor head 4. This is hollow and has oil distributing pipes 4l radiating therefrom'vad extending outwardly approximatelyto the periphery of the fdistributor. The exact length of these pipes. is,`; however, not a material matter. These are so placed that oil supplied from the chamber in the head 4 will be discharged through the pipes 41 .when said head and distributor as a whole is revolved.

The oil distributor as a whole is4 mounted so as to rotate about a vertical axis. The head 4 is carried upon the upper end of a tubular shaft 50, which shaft atits upper end communicates with the chamber in the p 'head 4 and at its lower end with a source of supply of oil. This shaft is journaled in a` casing-member which is in the form of a tube 5. To insure a non-leaking joint at the upper ends of the tubular casing member 5, I have shown the head 4 as being provided with a. shell-like apron 40 which fits closely over the upper end of the tubular casing. The lower 'end of the tubular casing 5 is supported from a horizontal casing member 6 to which oil is supplied in any suitable and convenient manner. The method illustrated 100 for doing this is to secure the lower end of the casing member 5 into a nut l51, which screws into the casing 6.v Casin 6 is also shown as having a horizontal tu e or pipe 60 screwingl thereinto and forming the fuel 106 supply conduit; The tubular pipe 50 opens at its lower end into the chamber in the casing member 6.

To .the lower end of the tubular shaft 50, which extends into the chamber in the casing l6, is secured a beveled gear 61, with which meshes another gear 62, carried by a hori- I zontally extending shaft 63, which shaft is or channel 10. This is of suchl shape that any oil discharged upon the grate and unburned and which flows in that direction will be caught and held until it has been consumed. Outwardly from the drip channel. 10 is an upstanding flange 11, which iange isv so positioned that it will receive thereon thc oil discharged from the revolving distributor pipes 41. Just outwardly of this iiange 1s a combustion channel 12, which preferably has its outer wall 13 undercut,r as is shown in Figure 1. Outwardly off't'his channel the grate has an outward and/upwardly curving surface 14, against which the flames will impinge and be deected upwardly.

- To prevent the possibility of carbon collecting upon the surface 11, I have provided the rotating distributor with two scraper fingers 7. These project beyond the periphery of the distributor discs and have their outer end and one side face positioned to swing over and fairly close to the surface of the fire grate which includes the inner face of the flange 11 and the fiat ledge inwardly therefrom.- Should carbon collect upon these surfaces in any material amount, it is liable to interfere with the proper combustion of the oil. These scraping fingers will remove any carbon formin upon 'these Surfaces by the time it has reac ed any material thickness. The oil supply casing 6 and the parts car-` ried thereby are in turn enclosed within an outer casing 8, which is used as an air` supply conduit vand as well as a support for the burner and its operating parts. This conduit hhas an upper extension 8() which at its upper end is engaged by the inner ends of the segments-which form the lire grate 1.. This forms an annuar channel surrounding the tubular casing 5, through which air is supplied to the interior of the j rotating distributor.

The shaft 63 is rotated by any suitable means. This results in rotating the tubular Shaft 5() and the distributor 2.0 The rotation of the distributor causes the oil distributingarms 41 to function as-a centrifu al suction pump to draw up the oil land to dlscharge it upon the fire grate. It is contemplated thatv the oil be provided for the burner and maintained at a level either slightly below the discharging point at the distributor, or, be furnished thereto under a sufficient pressure to insure a positive flow of the oil. Either method may be employed with this burner. As the oil is discharged from the radiating mainte pipes 41 air is also discharged, due to the fact that the vanes 3 which connect the upper and lower disc members serve as fan blades or impellers, to thereby discharge the air with considerable force. This discharged air acts 1n a measure to atomize the oil.

In starting a burner 'of this sort, when fuel oil is used, it will be necessary to provide a priming heat. This I contemplate doing by the use of a small auxiliary burner, which burner is contained within a casing represented in Figure 2 at 9. This may De any type'l of burner employing an oil sufficiently volatile that it may be ignited by ordinary means, such, for "instance, as by the use of an electric spark. This burner discharges its iiame through a tube 90, which is so directed'as to discharge upon the grate just without the distributor.

I have found, b experience, thatthe use of a channel 12, which I have termed a combustion channel, at the point bearin the re lat-ion to the other parts as indicate in Figure 1, is a matter of some importance'. A greater part of the discharged oil will flow over the upper edge of the ange 11 and is also carried by its Vvelocity across the.

channel 12, and flows up theiclined surface j y14. When the burner is in action',- a ring of flame follows around inthe channel 12, through which flame the oil passes. In doing this it is so heated as to be ignited and complete combusiion is secured. The undercutting of the. outer side wall 13 causes a r0- tating effect to be produced in the channel 12, keepingjthis channel filled with flame whichl heats the discharged oil.

In startingmy burner the auxiliary burner is employed for a short time, the fuel oil not being turned on until somewhat later. 'After the pilot or priming burner hasfsomwhat heated the grate, the' fuel oil is supplied and after this is burning well and the grate is well heated the auxiliary burner is turned off.

- 110 The oil` distributing pipes 41 are preferably placed just in advance of the air im-5 pellers or vanes 3,from which it results that the strongest rush of air outwardly iiows against and along said pipes, thereby very materially cooling themand preventing carbonization off the oil flowing therethrough.

What I claim my invention is:

1. An oil burner comprising a rotative distributor, a fire grate surrounding said distributor and having an upstanding circular iiange positioned to receive the discharge froml said distributor against its inner face, a depressed channel just without said flange extending upwardly therefrom.

2. An oil burner comprising a' rotative'distributor, a l'ire grate girrounding said distributor and having an upstanding circular .and a wall just outside of said channel and i ramasse iidange positioned to receive the discharge v from said distributor against its inner face,

-a depressed channel just without said flange and 'as wall just outs1de of said channel and extending upwardly therefrom, and a drip channel located inwardlyv of said upstanding an e.

3.gn oil burner comprising a rotative oil distributor and ai* blower, a hollow supporting shaft through which oil is supplied to the distributor, a horizontal drive shaft and ears 'connecting said shafts, a casing in whic bothl shafts are journaled and through which'oil is supplied, and an outer casing surrounding said first casing and forming the air supply conduit for the distributor.

4. An oil burner comprising a rotative distributorfor both air and oil, a fire grate surrounding the distributor and having an upstanding flange positioned to receive the imactof air and oil as discharged from the `flange, the outer Side wall of said channel being undercut, and an upwardly curving surface outside `of said channel.

6. In an oil burner, an oil and air distributor, a tubular vertical shaft carrying the distributor u on its upper end and also functioning as tile oil supply conductor, a tubular vertical casing surrounding said shaft and providing a bearing therefor, a horizontal casing supporting said vertical casing and also functioning as an oil supply conduit, a drive shaft journaled in said horlzontal casing gears connecting said shafts and immersed in the oil supply and an air supply casing surrounding said oil supply conduit and having an upward extension surrounding the vertical casing which surrounds the tubular shaft and opening to the distributor.

7 A re grate for use with oil burners employin a rotary. distributor ha'ving an annular s ape and provided with an oil drp oove towards its inner ed e, an upstan lng circular flange position outside of said fdrlp groove and to receive the oil discharge, an ignition channel surrounding said flange a'nd having an undercut outer wall, and an `upwardly vand outwardly extending combus tion surface -without said ignition channel.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this-20th' day of August', 1926.

THOMAS w. noacn;l 

